Controversial microblogging social network Twitter saw images and links breaking down for several minutes on Monday evening after what was described as an API access issue that plagued the platform.
Attempting to access the links or images during the technical glitch resulted in an error message across the website and apps which read: “Your current API plan does not include access to this endpoint”, before redirecting users.
During the downtime, third-party applications such as the popular platform TweetDeck, commonly used by businesses and brands on Twitter, to schedule and post tweets, were also down.
Earlier this year, Twitter cut access to its API, stating in a tweet that it was “enforcing its long-standing API rules that may result in some apps not working”.
Amid the abruptness of its halt on API access, the company did not explain which rules developers of other third-party apps like Twitterrific and Tweetbot were violating. Meanwhile, several other third-party apps were running, while others were shut down randomly.
Losing API access meant users could not post tweets from third-party apps, as many of these apps rely on the API to fetch tweets from users, allowing them to display content from those users meaningfully.
Other ways third-party app users were affected included retweeting and liking tweets, posting content on users’ timelines, writing tweets directly from the app and other functionality offered by Twitter’s website, such as seeing followers and accounts being followed.
Monday evening’s Twitter glitch came amid reports of more lay-offs at the social network earlier in the day, as the embattled platform continued to see an exodus of advertisers.
Twitter’s workforce has shrunk by about 75%.
The most recent revenue decline comes after owner Elon Musk accused the US media of being racist on Sunday after several US newspapers announced they would stop publishing a comic strip whose creator called black people a hate group.
The company’s daily revenue has suffered after Musk’s takeover of the social network last year, resulting in top advertisers pausing spend on the platform.
The social network has struggled to attract advertisers and users for some time. According to The Information, its daily ad revenue has fallen 40% from $263 million in Q4 2018 to just $141m in Q1 2019 while posting a net loss of $143m during the same period.
IOL Tech